July 4th - A not-as-easy-as-it-should-be train trip in France
Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast
The Independent
3.6 • 628 Ratings
🗓️ 4 July 2023
⏱️ 8 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
After a few days travelling round by train, I can say it's not just British railway that has its problems. In France, I've found a bewildering array of rules and ticketing related barriers that means getting around on the various different services isn't as easy as it could be. Let me explain...
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to today's independent travel podcast, |
| 0:05.0 | meet Simon Calder. Oh my goodness, it's Tuesday the 4th of July already. |
| 0:12.0 | And as you might gather from the effects behind me, I'm at a railway station once again. |
| 0:20.0 | I'm not supposed to be, I'm supposed to have left, but everything is in some disarray. |
| 0:26.6 | And today I want to talk about just how useless the railways are in France. |
| 0:34.6 | Yes, I've talked about the shortcomings of trains in both the UK and indeed in Germany. |
| 0:43.3 | But now, after a few days of trying to get around France by rail, |
| 0:49.3 | I am able to reveal just how tricky it is. |
| 0:55.3 | Let me tell you where I am. |
| 0:56.8 | I'm on platform B of Chambale railway station. |
| 1:03.7 | There's an Italian train that's gone from Milan-O-Centrale, Milan Central, |
| 1:09.4 | and it's going to Garda-Leon. It's running about 25 minutes late so far. |
| 1:15.6 | The train grand-vite Ferre Chirot |
| 1:20.6 | at 9-2902ndo, |
| 1:22.6 | No. 9,2ndo 2nd2nd |
| 1:25.6 | at destination |
| 1:26.6 | Paris Guard of Lyon will part Take guard at the firm Well, there we are just about to be a quick and we are going to be a quick and vape |
| 1:41.3 | before it does. |
| 1:43.3 | Oh and somebody's running along the platform and very generously guard is listening and board |
| 1:50.0 | the train even though it's getting later and later and later. |
| 1:54.0 | It's kind of good to see that this competition because that drives great service and low fares and choice for customers right across the rail network. |
| 2:06.5 | It certainly works in the UK. |
... |
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